CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The alarm clock went off at 4 a.m., three hours earlier than it usually does. Normally that would've led to the snooze button getting smashed a few different times and some groans as I slowly picked my head off the pillow and rolled out of my king-sized bed.

But this morning I didn't mind because I was about to embark on a day that I had been looking forward to for months. My lack of energy didn't matter. The poor sleep I had just gotten wondering if my power would return after a storm the night before didn't either. The rain banging against my windows and soaking the grass didn't bother me. Only one thing mattered on Thursday, June 19, 2014: finding a way to play 100 holes of golf at Hickory Nut Golf Course.

That's right, I was one of the lucky eight participants in our annual Summer Solstice Golf Challenge, and 100 holes was this year's challenge. Seems crazy, right? Playing golf from the early morning into the darkness, trying to go as fast as possible while at the same time trying to score well is not something that people actually want to do, right?

I didn't know what to expect. I packed energy bars, Ensure, pretzels and a myriad of other snacks to fuel me through the lengthy, exhausting day. I brought four different outfits, planning to change shirts, shorts, hats and socks numerous times to stay dry and comfortable.

When I arrived at the course, it was just past 5 a.m. Darkness covered Hickory Nut, but cars were piled up at the entrance, the sign lit up by everyone's fog lights. It's clear I wasn't the only one excited to get the challenge underway. The rain was still falling but participants, holding umbrellas, were in good spirits.

As I walked to the cart, I met my golf cart mate, Bob Heiss, who had hideous Michigan head covers protecting his clubs. I let him ride with me anyway. The other players in my foursome were Matthew Blum and Matt Hudak – we called them "Matt Left" and "Matt Right."

As we were waiting for cloud cover to allow enough light to peek through, we all loaded our carts with Gatorade, water and other things to keep us hydrated throughout the day. Hickory Nut provided it all, including meals and towels to keep our clubs and hands dry. They were the perfect host; the course was the perfect setting.

We teed off at about 5:45 a.m. in the pouring rain, wondering if we'd be better off taking shelter inside, letting the rain slow down. But we didn't because it would've been too difficult to surpass the record of 91 holes, set in last year's challenge. So we motored our way through, taking very few practice swings, while at the same time unwilling to sacrifice quality play.

When the rain picked up, we put jackets on. When we encountered other golfers on our journey, we played through. The rain eventually passed and it turned into a beautiful, hot, steamy day. Even though it was a challenge and there were obstacles, it was a blast. It's something I will always remember.

The excitement was building; we started to have people from Hickory Nut cheering on as all of us started to believe that the record was within striking distance.

There were moments of doubt; times when exhaustion, fatigue and sore feet were going to slow down our pace, prevent us from reaching our goal. But we fought through, staying just as strong on holes 85 thru 90 as we were on the first tee.

Hole 91 completed, and the record from last year was tied. On to the next hole. After the final put dropped, the record was ours: 92 holes in one day. It was a tremendous feat. We could've stopped right there. But 92 wasn't the goal. We wanted to play 100 holes in one day, and there were eight more before that was accomplished.

We trudged on.

Arriving at hole 100, with spectators all around us, we placed the balls on the tees. After a few deep breaths and a couple of wiggles, we fired our first of four, or five or maybe even six shots. There was still plenty of light so the only thing standing between the goal and us was our own body. The last putt found the bottom of the cup, and the goal was reached. But we still weren't satisfied, and there was still enough light left for one more hole. Why not, right?

We talked and decided to go beyond the original plan. The 11th hole, a difficult par 3, had given us fits all day long. It's a tough one that measures more than 200 yards, with water on the left – a hazard that collected a few balls on this day. Just past 9 p.m., we put the flag back in and the day was done after 15 and a half hours on the course.

With 101 holes being completed by each member of the group, high fives and hand-pounds were shared by all. It was an incredible rush, an awesome accomplishment. We were overjoyed. What we just accomplished was something that many of us had on our bucket list; it's something we had always wanted to do. We pushed our bodies to the limit, exerted plenty of energy, but got it done.

When I first let people know I was participating in the challenge, they asked why. They weren't sure why someone would want to golf for that long, they weren't sure that a body would hold up long enough to get it done. It was an incredible experience and I could not have asked for a better group of guys.

As crazy as it sounds, I'd love to get the invite again next year. Only this time go for 102.

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